That Fine Line

By Aanchol Amit Mitra

That fine line between laughing and being hurt when someone makes a joke about you, remember?

I know. People many a time don’t realize what they say and when someone doesn’t react to

anything they take it as a green signal to go ahead and make fun of that person. But when voices are

raised, they are shut down by saying “why can’t you take a joke.” And that’s the fine line that lies

between a joke and an acrid comment. Saying something while keeping that fine line in mind can

make so much of a difference. Oh, and if someone explains their dense behaviour with the reason of

‘freedom of speech’ that only tells you about their basic understanding ability and takes it as a signal

to stay away from them because in all honesty these people are just born with a lack of fundamental

sense of social behaviour. Sometimes we even remain quiet with the fear than what if they take

offence, but should that even be our problem? Learning to put ourselves first is a major step that

everyone as humans need to take. If you cannot even, be you in that relationship and express how

you feel, then do u even need that friendship, romantic relationship, or just an acquaintance? You

might even think it to be funny when I tell you these utterances can be the start to cause depression,

anxiety, OCD, PTSD etc in someone but it’s true. A word, a line, a derogatory movement, a statement

or an action all in an inappropriate way can act like a trigger to many people. It might seem like a

small issue to some but it can actually take one’s whole life to get out of that feeling of not being

good enough. The sad part is that people around them might not even realise that something has

hurt them. Can I tell you something? It’s ok to say you are uncomfortable with a specific remark or

judgement. I know it’s tough to stand up for yourself and remain composed, but try it and you’ll feel

the most empowered. We are in a generation where no means no irrespective of its use against

sexual abuse or as simple as a mean statement. So, am I telling you to stop talking completely? No.

Just to normalize healthy conversations, jokes and criticisms. Is it tough? Maybe yes, maybe not. The

way we have normalized wrong behaviour, all that is necessary is to normalize good. It’s good to be

good.

By Aanchol Amit Mitra